He will send fees for weddings to charity.

Updated 7:39 pm, Friday, June 24, 2011

County Clerk Gerry Rickhoff, who for years has tried unsuccessfully to have the state allow county clerk employees perform marriages, plans to start performing weddings himself for cash donations that he will give to charity.

Rickhoff ordered his credentials as a reverend for $32 on the Internet and is awaiting their arrival before he sets up shops. (He jokes that for $50 he could have become a prophet.)

As strange as that may seem, Rickhoff won't be the first Internet reverend doing marriages locally, but at least the proceeds will be going to help others.

Rickhoff has been open in his disgust that some judges down at the courthouse each year pocket thousands of extra dollars in cash on top of their salaries for performing weddings in their chambers during regular business hours.

He has been trying to channel some of that money to public charities via legislation that would allow his office to perform weddings, but the bills have never made it out committee. After his most recent failed attempt this year, he decided to get things moving on his own.

As of mid-week, the maverick clerk did not have all the specifics nailed on his new venture. He plans to set up regular wedding hours down the road, but for the time being will be performing wedding as needed. He was not sure if he will conduct the weddings in his office in the old red Courthouse or outside. He is worried there might be complaints if performs them indoors.

He has contacted the Battered Women's Shelter and told them of his plans to ask for a suggested $20 donation that would go to their cause. The shelter will be supplying Rickhoff with a cash box where the couples can drop their donations and the shelter will collect the cash about once a week.

Rickhoff said he does not want to handle any of the money and decided that having a lockbox for the donations would work best.

The county clerk's office issues about 1,000 marriage licenses a month. About half of the couples end up getting married by a judge or someone downtown, Rickhoff estimates. He figures he will probably end up doing about 200 weddings a month and if he collects a minimum of $20 for the women's shelter for each marriage he performs it should bring in $40,000 to $50,000.

“It's picking money off the floor,” Rickhoff said.

An informal poll of the judges who conduct weddings indicates they use the extra income, usually $40 to $50 a ceremony, as pin or lunch money, Rickhoff said. He was amazed to find one judge in Fort Worth who charges $350 for a wedding.

Rickhoff admits it is taking him out of his comfort zone but he is willing to do it if it means he can channel money to a good cause.

Rickhoff's next big dilemma is what he is going to tell the couples he marries. He says they probably don't want advice from an elected official, and he is probably right.

He has sought advice from five judges and has concluded that getting the couple to speak to each other during the ceremony might be his best bet.

Rickhoff's plan is bit strange, but I hope it works. If anyone should be benefiting from the proceeds of weddings conducted by salaried elected officials on county property it should be a nonprofit that helps women and children.